Nov 30, 2009

The answer to this question depends heavily on how one envisions God.
One survey reports that ninety-nine percent of Americans claim to
believe in God. Yet, in spite of the prevalence of religiosity in
America, the escalating crime rate, rampant drug addiction, epidemic
mental illness, and revival of the death penalty, to name just a few
symptoms, are not signs of a spiritually healthy society. Europeans
report a growing blankness -- a god-shaped hole -- where God once
existed in the human consciousness.[1]

What also seems clear is that individual conceptualizations of God are not
uniform. There may be as many versions of God as there are people, for the concept of God has never been a static thing. As Karen Armstrong writes in “A
History of God,” “Yet it seems that creating gods is something that
human beings have always done. When one religious idea ceases to work
for them, it is simply replaced. These ideas disappear quietly, like
the Sky God, with no great fanfare. In our own day, many people would
say that the God worshiped for centuries by Jews, Christians, and
Muslims has become as remote as the Sky God.”[2]

Armstrong concludes, “Human beings cannot endure emptiness and
desolation; they will fill the vacuum by creating a new focus of
meaning. The idols of fundamentalism are not good substitutes for God; if we are to create a
vibrant new faith for the twenty-first century, we should, perhaps
ponder the history of God for some lessons and warnings.”[3]

When asked if we believe in God, we find ourselves responding to the question
with one of our own: What God are you referring to?

Is it Abraham’s God, the God of the Old Testament? This god was a
strict father, a creator, protector and punisher, a giver of law. This
god also required the sacrifice by Abraham of his son Isaac and
authorized the conquering and killing of many thousands of people.

Is it Augustine’s God, the God of the early Christian Church? This is
the god of a powerful church, inheritor of the remnants of the Roman
Empire. This god judged all humanity based on Adam’s original sin. The religion based on
this god will have us view ourselves as fundamentally flawed --
originally sinful.[5]

Is it Michelangelo’s God, a personal God, as painted on the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel? This concept of God helped develop the liberal humanism
valued so highly in the West. It fit well with an awakening and
expanding Europe. This god loves, judges, punishes, sees, hears,
creates, and destroys as we do. This god inspires. However, this can
also be a liability when one assumes that this god loves what we love
and hates what we hate, thereby endorsing our prejudices instead of
compelling us to transcend them. The fact is that this “personal” God
is male (and usually white) has raised deep existential problems for
women and non-whites.[6]

Is it the omnipotent God that some theologians believe died at Auschwitz? The
idea of an all-knowing and all-powerful god is hard for some to
reconcile with the evil of the Holocaust. For, if God is truly
omnipotent, he could have prevented it. If, they say, he was unable to
stop it, he is impotent; if he could have stopped it and chose not to,
he is not compassionate.[7]

Our rapidly expanding scientific knowledge about the universe is also
making it apparent that God is no longer “up there” or “out there.” The
heavens seem empty of the protecting, judging, and caring divine
presence envisioned by the ancient world. The result is, according to
John Shelby Spong, Episcopal bishop and author of “Why Christianity
Must Change or Die,” that tens of millions of people are “believers in
exile,” who have lost touch with these God images as taught from
traditional pulpits, but are not prepared to abandon the concept of God
entirely.[8]

As a snake sloughs its skin as it grows, are we now witnessing the
growth of our collective conceptualization of God, leaving behind the
old, and for some now inadequate one even as a new one, not yet clear,
is born?

Some believe that there is a new view of God emerging in this
post-modern age. It abandons the external height images of the historic
theistic God and is being replaced with internal depth image of a god
that is not apart, but is integral and fundamental part of us. It is a
perspective quite consistent with the Buddhist concept of the Mystic
Law.

This Mystic Law is the ultimate entity or truth that permeates all
phenomena in the universe, but it is not a personified being. There is
an ultimate oneness of the human and this ultimate Law -- there is no
separation between human beings (all human beings) and this idea of God
as a Mystic Law.

This eternal and unchanging truth that resides within us is the source from
which we can draw the compassionate wisdom that accords with changing
circumstances, and the courage and confidence to live according to that
wisdom. It is mystical, not magical, because its totality is beyond
human conceptualization; and efforts to compartmentalize it, say in human
form, only restrict and limit it. It is a law because it is
experientially true in the daily lives of individual human beings.

This ultimate reality, ultimate truth, ultimate purity exists in the
depths of every human being. Because of this, Buddhists view all people
as sacred and perfectly endowed with potential to be wonderfully happy
and enlightened individuals. There is no us and them, no godly and ungodly -- all are children of God, entities of the Mystic Law.

Where others looked to the heavens, Buddha looked within and found the
priceless jewel of human wonder and possibility. He recognized that we,
too, are made of the divine “stuff” of the universe. We’ve simply
forgotten who we are.

So do we believe in God? By most traditional definitions, no. But in terms of
how increasing numbers of Christians understand God, yes, we do believe
in God. Our name for God is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Mystic Law. We
believe it exists both “in here” and “out there,” and that this inner
light can shine forth from within when we awaken to it and open our
hearts through the act of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

There will, of course, be many people for whom this understanding of
God will be unacceptable. That is fine. But there will be many --
according to one study, as many as twenty-five percent of all adults in
America -- for whom it will resonate. People who will find that they
also no longer really embrace these earlier versions of God; that
they’ve already begun to envision the universe differently, and that
the concept of God as Mystic Law matches the understanding that they
have reached on their own. They’ll discover, as most SGI-USA members
can attest, that the Mystic Law will, quite nicely indeed, fill the
god-shaped hole in their spiritual selves.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it would be enough- Meister Eckhart

I want to thank all of my SGI family, friends and new subscribers- for your love, appreciation and support.

Best wishes to everyone this thanksgiving- xoxo Lotus Flower

Appreciation is what makes people truly human. The Japanese word for thankful originally indicated a rare or unusual condition and later came to denote a sense of joyful appreciation for an uncommon occurrence- Faith into Action

Nov 23, 2009

I recently came across the Rob Thomas song "Little Wonders". Its message is a very beautiful one and I could not help but hear in the lyrics - 'It's the heart that really matters in the end'. I knew I heard or read that expression before. Whether it be in the end or the most, the message is still the same.

From Faith into Action (Daisaku Ikeda):

"Our heart is what matters most. A heart that praises the Mystic law brings forth boundless benefit. And the heart that praises those who spread the Mystic Law elicits still greater benefit."

"Everything is determined by our attitude, by our resolve. Our heart is what matters the most."

"Those who exert themselves for the sake of the Law are ever young. Our heart is what matters the most."

Written by Rob Thomas

Let it goLet it roll right off your shoulderDon't you knowThe hardest part is overLet it inLet your clarity define youIn the endWe will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are madeIn these small hoursThese little wondersThese twists and turns of fateTime falls away,But these small hoursThese small hoursStill remain

Let it slideLet your troubles fall behind youLet it shine,Till you feel it all around youAnd I don't mindIf it's me you need to turn toWe'll get byIt's the heart that really matters in the end

Nov 20, 2009

I visualize my devilish functions as gangsters in a 40's style
film-noir. They linger in the shadows, in dark corners, up on rooftops,
sitting in cars- awaiting for the very moment to make their move on
you. So when you experience just a bit or slither of happiness- you can
bet - they will appear, right on schedule, on time..ringing your
doorbell, jumping out from those shadows, flying down from those
rooftops, jumping you and wrestling you to the ground. Not a word is
spoken because you know what they want. They're holding a gun to your
head or any weapon of their choice- because you got them ANGRY.

Who
are you to be happy? You have pissed them off. And because they know
you so well, they say to themselves 'hmm let's see, how can we mess you
up, hit you where you live, destroy your life condition?'

They
hit you in places they know is going to get you down, stop you from
your mission, stand in the way of your human revolution- (i.e.
unresolved anger, resentment, relationship, financial, personal
problems)."In Buddhism, demons represent functions of human nature and the
environment that bring misery and suffering. These demons and devils-
the robbers of life and benefit-are actually the negativity inherent in
our lives. They can appear as negative internal feelings and as
external influences that try to obstruct our Buddhist practice."- sgi.orgIn the beginning of my practice. I knew the one area I
had to address right away. It wasn't the thing that brought me to the
practice (or so I thought- but that's another discussion..lol)

I
was abused when I was child and when I began my practice- the first
thing I did was forgive that person and chanted for their happiness.
You see for me..as long as you hold on to whoever it was that wronged
you- you will never be free. Its not about vengeance or the fact that
you think by letting this go the person will think its OK what they did
to you. Its how this is affecting you, not them. Whoever hurts you-
because they made a bad cause, will eventually suffer a bad effect.

Knowing
this, you slowly learn to let this go. Have faith in the practice, that
things of this nature take care of themselves on their own in due time.
Its not your responsibility. Your only responsibility is to be happy
and for you to create it. Don't you owe yourself that much?

In
other words, its like you've been taking poison all along hoping they
get sick. They wont, your just wasting valuable time. Because all this
time, you've been the one whose slowly been poisoning yourself.The
number one thing I chant for the most is to be a woman of unlimited
self-esteem. I believe it all starts there, for all of us.

When
we take back our power- those gangsters (the robbers of your life) will
get the picture. You turn the gun back on them, shoot them all down one
by one. And I think that's what this practice means to me. Its not
easy, it takes time..but we learn and grow from it. Blossoming,
emerging from the muddy waters as a survivor.

And when we find ourselves outnumbered- call a member..they certainly have enough ammunition to give you. :DArtwork by www.impawards.com

Nov 19, 2009

Nichiren’s Buddhismis a
profound teaching and by practicing it we are able to achieve our goals
in life, control the manifestations and circumstances in our environment,
and acquire the life-condition of Buddhahood, or unshakable happiness.
It is important to understand, however, the practical application of
this practice in our daily lives. It is incorrect to think that chanting
by itself, that is chanting without making serious efforts to bring
about our own human revolution, will be effective. To use a well-known
metaphor, that is like expecting a paycheck without working. We must
make the causes to reach our goals, not simply wait for them to appear. Nichirenteaches us that though we may have experienced frustration
in our lives when our efforts seemingly do not produce the desired effect,
summoning faith in the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will definitely
yield great benefit. Source:
-->

Nov 16, 2009

Nov 14, 2009

The first five`consciousnesses' are our basic senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste, which we use to take in information from outside ourselves in order to understand what is going on in the world. Imagine the moment of birth. The baby, at that moment is aware of sound, of smell, touch,taste, and sight. Like the baby we become attached to the world to such a degree that, for many, the world in all its complexities continues to hold our attention and we remain ignorant of the working of the deeper `layers` of consciousness.

Eventually the baby grows and learns that what it is seeing is, say `blue` or what it is feeling is `hot`. This is the sixth consciousness or the mind as we are used to thinking of it, which functions to enable us to make sense of what is coming to us through our senses. It is primarily through the interaction of these first 6 consciousnesses that we perform our daily activities. The seventh consciousness is directed towards our inner, spiritual world. It is in the 7 consciousness that the conditioning we experience as we grow up is stored. It is through this consciousness that we have our sense of who we are, our gender, our national identity and so on.Attachment to a self distinct and separate from others has its basis in this consciousness as does our sense of right and wrong. We might see the appearance of various therapies and counseling in the West as a response to the desire on the part of many to free themselves from some of the conditioning that has taken place in life and which is stored in the 7 consciousness. Western culture really only has an understanding of the first 7 consciousnesses. The concept of an eighth consciousness storing all our internal causes and internal effects (our karma) is generally not in use in daily life. And the concept of a ninth consciousness being the fundamental workings of life itself throughout the universe is definitely not part of our culture! The ninth consciousness in Buddhism is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo or the Law of life. 1 to 5 is sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 6 is Conscious Mind, 7 is Sub-Conscious/Egoistical Limited Self, 8 is Karma and 9 is Law of Life.

The eighth and ninth consciousnesses are operating at the level of the fundamental interconnectedness of all of life. If our eyes could see our karma and the 9 consciousness we would see all of life as deeply interconnected. The perception created in the 7 consciousness of a fixed and isolated self is thus false. This is one of the deep seated delusions regarding the nature of the self. The narrow ego of the 7 consciousness resists life expansion. A human life which is`touching` the eighth consciousness is cracking the shell of the limited ego and becoming open to its greater self. The seventh consciousness is also the seat of the fear of death. Locked in the 7 consciousness the narrow ego assumes it will perish and cease to exist at death. Such a life is unable to see that the eighth consciousness is an enduring flow of life energy that will migrate between life times. The delusion that the 7 consciousness is ones true self is fundamental ignorance, a turning away from the interconnectedness of all being. It is this sense of oneself as separate that gives rise to discrimination, destructive arrogance, and the acquisition of material possessions and wealth that far surpass what any one human being could possibly need.

The eighth consciousness is a vast storehouse of all the causes and effects which affect the way that the world comes to us. It is where we accumulate our karma, both positive and negative. It accounts for our looks, our circumstances, our reactions, our good or bad fortune, our work, our relationships, our health, in fact, every aspect of living. As causes are made in thought or word or deed, so internal effects are stored in this level of consciousness. Because the internal cause and effect exists deep inside, on a level of life which is interconnecting with all of life, eventually external causes and effects appear in response to the karma in the eighth consciousness. It is the existence of the eighth consciousness that explains the great differences which exist between say `identical` twins in their experiences of life. It explains how things that happen to a young child appear to have no cause in this lifetime.It is this eighth consciousness or karma which migrates between lifetimes. It is our karma from previous lifetimes which we are born with and which then causes the world to come to us on the basis of our internal causes in all the different aspects of life. If life were only these eight consciousnesses things would be fatalistic and bleak. One cause would create its effect which would condition all future causes and their effects and so on, leaving us stuck on a particular path with particular tendencies. We cannot gain access to this 8th karmic consciousness with our minds, which are too shallow. Will-power and effort alone will not enable us to change deep seated karmic tendencies.Buddhism teaches that there is a ninth consciousness which Nichiren Daishonin identified as the Buddha nature, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It is the basis of all life's functions and is known as the 'amala' or 'fundamentally pure' consciousness, shared at the most profound level with all life. As we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, so life force comes from the ninth consciousness, purifying the internal causes and effects that lie in the eighth, and improving the way our sixth and seventh consciousnesses function. We start to create new causes in the eighth consciousness, based not on the tendencies that we have developed after making many different causes, but on the life state of the Buddha, and therefore filled with courage, compassion and wisdom. Another benefit of this process is that we start to see our lives with the eyes of the Buddha, enabling us to see our karma in its true light. As we see it, so it becomes easier to challenge it and change it.

To use an analogy, the emergence of the world of Buddhahood is like the rising of the sun. When the sun dawns in the east, the stars that had shone so vividly in the night sky immediately fade into seeming non-existence. If they disappeared, it would go against the principle of causality. But just as the light of the stars and the moon seems to vanish when the sun rises, when we bring forth the state of Buddhahood in our lives we cease to suffer negative effects for each individual past negative cause made. In other words,this does not deny or contradict general causality. General causality remains an underlying premise of Buddhism. But it is subsumed by what might be termed a 'greater causality'. This greater causality is the causality of attaining Buddhahood. It is the causality of the Lotus Sutra and the Mystic Law. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo then liberates us from our negative or unhappy karma, and enables us to make causes and create lives that accord with our greatest dreams both for ourselves and for the society in which we live. The best causes we can make are those that contribute to kosen-rufu, and help people to establish Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in their own lives, enabling them to reveal their own Buddha nature.(Article from SGI-UK)(Image sources: Deviantart)

As we go about our daily lives, in every single moment, we make causes in the things that we think and say and do. Buddhism teaches the existence of a law of cause and effect which explains that when we make a cause, the anticipated effect of that cause is stored deep in our lives, and when the right circumstances appear then we experience the effect.

This concept of cause and effect is at the heart of Buddhism, and the characters for 'renge' in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean the simultaneity of the internal cause and the internal effect. This means that, through chanting, we have made the cause for our Buddhahood, and the effect of it exists simultaneously with that cause. By chanting we are directly causing our Buddhahood to appear.

Renge literally means 'lotus flower', which is a beautiful plant that floats on the surface of water and its beauty is nourished through its roots in the mud. This is a metaphor for our lives. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo uses the `mud` in our lives to enable us to reveal our highest life state.But the Lotus flower is significant for a second reason. It is a plant that flowers and seeds at the same time. It beautifully illustrates the profound working of life where the effect is simultaneous with the cause.

An example of the way Buddhism views cause and effect might be of a young person going home to spend a weekend with their parents. They have a blazing row before the end of the weekend and the young person leaves. In Western society we tend to see the blazing row as the cause and the young person leaving the effect. But Buddhism focuses attention on the internal cause and effect. So it may be that the internal cause turns out to be that the young person disrespects their parents,at quite a deep level, perhaps without realising it. The effect which is simultaneous with this cause is the state of hell, and it is this that is triggering the arguing. This example could equally be the other way round,with the parents doing the disrespecting. It is the internal cause and effect which a person who chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can change,replacing their internal feelings with respect.

Through the simultaneity of cause and effect we can cause our Buddhahood to appear. To help us gain a clearer understanding of what Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is we need to appreciate the nine consciousnesses. The nine consciousnesses can be thought of as different layers of consciousness which are constantly operating together to create our lives.And as we progress through explanations of these consciousnesses the significance of the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect should become apparent.

From a presentation by SGI-USA Vice General Director, Mr. Greg Martin:

1. Today I'm excited to talk about my new discoveries concerning Treasures of the Heart.

2.
Today I will speak about one point only. There are others in the
material, and you may choose one of them, but I want to speak only
about Treasures of the Heart.

3. We teach people how to become
happy based on the correct practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism as
taught by the SGI, especially President Ikeda. As a presenter I have a
responsibility to be accurate. I will strive to do so today.

4.
Nichiren Buddhism is not rocket science-if it were it would not be for
everyone and thus, not the great vehicle for attaining Buddhahood.
Ultimately Buddhism is for all people and thus cannot require a great
intellect.

5. When we study Buddhism we are actually studying
the true nature of our own lives. This is what Josei Toda realized in
prison that became the source for the rebirth of Buddhism in this age.
Whatever we are studying we are studying how our life works.

6.
Finally, my goal is that each and every member who hears what I say
will have a changed prayer that is stronger, clearer and correct-and as
a result each person will experience a breakthrough. As a result then
study has power.

With this as a preamble let's begin.

Treasures of the Heart-what are they?

I
began by reading the material thoroughly. I've studied and presented on
the three treasures many times. As I read I asked myself what can I
learn new? I was struck by question #2 of For Dialogue and Reflection:
"What are the ‘treasures of the heart'? Although it may seem a simple
question when I referred back to the text I learned that they are
important and can be developed through Buddhist practice but could only
find them specifically described as ‘the spiritual richness we
cultivate within." But what does that mean?

I conducted an
Informal Survey of Buddhist friends to determine if perhaps it was
clearer to others than if was to me with the following Responses:

While
everyone was clear that treasures of the heart are important they were
less clear about exactly what treasures of the heart are. As a result,
one wonders, how can one strive to accumulate something if you don't
know what you're looking for?

Like happiness. A core
principle of our country is the right to freely pursue one's happiness.
However, failing to understand the true nature of happiness, that
pursuit will lead only to dissatisfaction and disappointment.
Therefore, to have any reasonable expectation of achieving happiness
one must understand what it is, what it is not and how to achieve it.

The
same is true to treasures of the heart. I, of course, had my own ideas
about what they were, but was I correct? Thus, I focused on trying to
clarify for myself more precisely what they are, what they are not and
how to accumulate treasures of the heart.

Shijo Kingo was
faced with threats to his life, family and property. Shijo Kingo was a
man of justice, but with a temper as well. This letter is the
Daishonin's guidance to him.

p. 848: "when the Buddha nature
manifests itself from within, it will receive protection from without."
SHIJO KINGO, MANIFEST YOUR BUDDHA NATURE IF YOU WANT TO BE PROTECTED.

P.
849: "worthy persons (a Buddha) will advocate the five constant
virtues." THE FIVE CONSTANT VIRTUES, ALSO CALLED THE FIVE GREAT
PRINCIPLES OF HUMANITY, ARE: BENEVOLENCE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PROPRIETY,
WISDOM, AND GOOD FAITH-ARE PRINCIPLES BY WHICH YOU (SHIJO KINGO) SHOULD
ABIDE IF YOU WANT PROTECTION. Found in the glossary of the Gosho.

P.
852: "The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha,
the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being. The wise
may be called human, but the thoughtless are no more than animals." IF
YOU BEHAVE WISELY-CONTROL YOUR ANGER, SHIJO KINGO-BASED ON THESE
VIRTUES YOU WILL SURVIVE AND THRIVE.

Treasures of the
Heart then has to do with behavior based on inner qualities or virtues.
These qualities or virtues manifest from within and guide one's
thoughts, words and behavior. As a result one receives protection, good
fortune and benefit. Good relationships, a fulfilling life-such things
are side-effects of manifesting treasures of the heart not treasures of
the heart themselves. Everything is determined by how one lives, not by
what one has.

Another perspective is that the Daishonin
equates treasures of the heart with the virtues of the life state of
Buddhahood and, as we know, these can also be seen as the qualities of
absolute happiness. The Buddha's three virtues of parent, teacher and
sovereign are the qualities we should strive to accumulate.

How do we accumulate these treasures or virtues?

The
Gosho says: "Live with honor. Be diligent in the service to your lord,
in the service of Buddhism, and in one's concern for other people."

p.
56-7: Noteworthy in this passage is Nichiren's encouragement to Kingo
to become outstanding ‘in the service of his lord, in the service of
Buddhism, and in his concern for other people.' We can take this as
Nichiren also urging us to fully develop our personalities.... The true
meaning of actual proof in Nichiren Buddhism lies in developing our
character as we develop our faith...The practice of leading people to
the correct Buddhist teaching by refuting their erroneous views is the
well-known practice of Bodhisattvas of the Earth as expounded by
Nichiren"

To be a Bodhisattva of the Earth is to have
the same mind as Nichiren-to walk the path of mentor and disciple.
Carrying out the practice based on the way of mentor and disciple is
the source from which the treasures of the heart flow. Further, since
the treasures of the heart constitute the virtues of absolute happiness
and Buddhahood, sharing them with others-allowing those treasures and
virtues to flow out from us to others-makes room for more treasures to
gush forth within. In that sense, treasures of the heart flow through
us to others in an unceasing flow.

SGI President Ikeda
explains: "The Daishonin's statement, ‘More valuable than treasures in
a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the
heart are the most valuable of all' sums up a vital philosophy. In the
twenty-first century, this will doubtless come to be recognized as a
preeminent theory of value. For us, ‘treasures of the heart' means
cherishing a vow to work for kosen-rufu (world peace). There is no
greater treasure of the heart. " (LB, 11/03, 36)

Why?
Because the vow to carry out the Buddha's work activates the state of
Buddhahood within-after all, only a Buddha can do the Buddha's
work-manifesting the Buddha's virtues within. This triggers the
protection of the protective functions and the actualization of good
fortune. Thus, the most fundamental treasure from which the other
treasures of the heart arise is the vow of kosen-rufu.

In
Lectures on the Expedient Means and Life Span Chapters of the Lotus
Sutra (pp. 29-32) you will find more about the path of mentor and
disciple and the development of one's character. I urge you to read it.
Time does not permit much comment here except to say that President
Ikeda explains the purpose of the mentor and disciple relationship-of
two people sharing the same vow-is the development of people's
character. To neither become arrogant and independent nor lacking in
self-respect and dependent. Another way then to define treasures of the
heart is the ability to sustain self-respect and respect for others at
the same time. As President Ikeda writes: "The great mission of
Buddhism lies in this-cultivating and developing character."

By
accumulating treasures of the heart that arise through our efforts to
widely share the Daishonin's teachings with others, we can lead an
unsurpassed life of infinite value. Countless millions of tens of
millions of people have walked this path and solidified it for those
who follow. We have entered an age when the great actual proof we have
shown through the power of our faith will be applauded by people
throughout the world" (LB, 11/03, 36).

Treasures of the heart according to Buddhist Concepts for Today's Living

The
human heart, left to its own devices, tends to lean toward the
exclusive pursuit of wants and desires. When, spurred on by this
‘hungry heart,' people focus their energies on obtaining treasures of
the storehouse and treasures of the body, they are never satisfied....
Psychological research is finding more and more that people whose
primary focus in life is the attainment of ‘extrinsic goals'-externals
such a wealth, property, fame and status-tend to be less happy. In
general, they are said to experience higher levels of anxiety, suffer
more from illness, and have less of a sense of fulfillment....

In
this light, it is easy to see why the ability to win over
ourselves-over our weakness that makes us vulnerable to defeat by our
own desires-is the most important treasure we can possess. This is the
treasure of the heart. We can define ‘treasures of the heart' as the
mental and spiritual capacities to achieve mastery over oneself and to
have genuine fulfillment, a brightness of spirit, a warm and attractive
personality, self-control, conviction, a sense of justice, courage,
empathy and compassion. Or, it may be viewed as an indestructible
spiritual state-the state of absolute happiness-that allows a person to
surmount even life's most fundamental sufferings. A winner in life is a
person who amasses treasures of the heart" (LB, 07/99, 5).

Soren
Kierkegaard, a Danish religious philosopher,knew the importance of
seeing oneself in order tobuild a secure foundation for authentic
happiness. So he suggested three requirements for his fellow Christians
to see themselves in the "mirror" of "God's Word" (For Self-Examination
and Judge for Yourself!, Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong, trans., p.
25).

Kierkegaard's insight into how to gain self-knowledge may
be valuable not only for Christians but also for the practitioners of
Nichiren Buddhism, since Nichiren Daishonin also stressed the
importance of self-knowledge and inscribed the Gohonzon-the object of
devotion in Nichiren Buddhism-as a mirror to reflect our true self, our
innate Buddhahood.

Nichiren, for example, states: "The five
characters Myoho-renge-kyo similarly reflect the ten thousand
phenomena, not overlooking a single one of them.... A mirror that
allows us to see our own image and reflection-such is
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (ott, 51-52). The "five characters
Myoho-renge-kyo" and "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" in this passage are
synonymous with the Gohonzon, which embodies Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, or
the essential Law of life and the universe.

A profound awareness
that our lives are originally endowed with the Buddha's infinite wisdom
and compassion is so crucial for our happiness that Nichiren goes so
far as to say, "No other knowledge is purposeful."

The
philosophical distance between Kierkegaard and Nichiren, therefore, is
closer in their emphasis on self knowledge than one might expect from
their religious difference. The following are Kierkegaard's three
requirements as applied to how we may better see ourselves in the
mirror of the Gohonzon.

Why Don't We See Ourselves in the Mirror?

"The
first requirement is that you must not look at the mirror, observe the
mirror, but must see yourself in the mirror" (For Self-Examination, p.
25).

Here, Kierkegaard warns us against "the error of observing
the mirror instead of seeing oneself in the mirror" (ibid, 25). One may
ask how this could be possible. How can we look at the mirror and not
see ourselves?

Kierkegaard's first requirement, however, points to the subtlety of self-awareness.

Self-awareness
is said to develop during the early years of life. In one psychological
study, infants who had had a red spot applied to their nose were held
up to a mirror. Those who recognized their own reflection and so
reached for their own nose rather than the nose in the mirror were said
to show at least some self-awareness. In this study, practically no
infants in the first year of life showed clear evidence of
self-awareness, whereas about 70 percent of infants between twenty-one
and twenty-four months did so (see Simply Psychology, Michael W.
Eysenck, p. 278).

Clearly those infants under one year observed
the mirror but failed to see themselves. Their failure to see
themselves in the mirror is their failure to connect what is reflected
on the mirror to themselves. For those babies, the mirror served no
purpose and became useless. This illustrates what essentially makes a
mirror so valuable that we use it everyday; it is our self-awareness or
our ability to understand that what is reflected in the mirror is our
own image.

Any adult of sound mind would not make the same
mistake as those babies. When it comes to the Gohonzon, however,
Kierkegaard's concern often becomes our reality. Although we revere the
Gohonzon as Nichiren's enlightened life, we often fail to reflect the
same respect back to our own lives. Or worse-some people may disparage
their lives while admiring the Gohonzon's beneficial power.

They
might glorify the Gohonzon to the extent that they humble themselves.
Still others may see the Gohonzon as life's mysterious truth beyond
their grasp, accessible only for select priests. Those who view
the Gohonzon as an external deity or someone else's enlightenment may
be compared to those infants reaching for the mirror instead of their
own nose.

When we pray to the Gohonzon, we must reach
into our own lives for the hidden gem of Buddhahood rather than reach
out to the Gohonzon as an external source of salvation.

Our Invisible Self

"The
second requirement is that in order to see yourself in the mirror...you
must...remember to say to yourself incessantly: It is I to whom it is
speaking; it is I about whom it is speaking" (For Self-Examination, p.
35).

Down the center of the Gohonzon is inscribed
"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren," indicating that the potential for
absolute happiness exists within the lives of all people as represented
by Nichiren, who was born to a fisherman's family, the lowest class in
Japan's feudal society. So the
Gohonzon speaks to each of us: "It is you who embodies the wonderful Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo just as Nichiren did!"

In
this sense, our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo becomes our repeated
affirmation of this message from the Gohonzon. As Kierkegaard's
statement suggests, when we pray to the Gohonzon, we must remind
ourselves that with each invocation we are manifesting our highest
potential, full of strength and hope, no matter how our lives may
appear on the surface.

Believing Is Seeing

"Finally, if you want to look at yourself in the mirror. you must not promptly forget how you looked" (ibid., 44).

Kierkegaard's
final advice is his warning against our forgetfulness. When we study
Nichiren's writings, we may intellectually understand that we are
potentially Buddhas full of courage and compassion. While chanting, we
may feel confident that our lives are essentially no different from
that of Nichiren.

But
minutes after we leave our homes for work or school, we often start
acting in a manner unbefitting Buddhas. In the course of a day, we may
also face one situation after another in which others disregard us as
if we had not even an iota of Buddhahood.

This is why our
consistent Buddhist practice and study become important as powerful
reminders of our innate Buddhahood, especially when our environment
seems to suggest its non-existence. Our diligent, conscious efforts
steadily transform our intellectual idea of Buddhahood into our action
as Buddhas and our fleeting awareness of Buddhahood into our unmovable
conviction in the face of great hardship. In this sense, seeing
ourselves in the Gohonzon is often a process of gradual transformation
rather than an epiphany to attain once and for all.

Kierkegaard's
vision of an ideal Christian was a "doer of the Word" (ibid, 25). To
this end, he set down those three requirements for Christians to see
themselves in the "mirror of God's Word." By the same token, genuine
Nichiren Buddhists must not simply be admirers of the Gohonzon who see
it with awe yet fail to see themselves in it. Indeed, what those
admirers think of as their pious respect for the Gohonzon is a kind of
fundamental disrespect that perverts its purpose.

Nichiren
wished us to become practitioners of the Gohonzon who uphold this
mirror of ultimate self-knowledge and appreciate our reflections. To
this end, he stressed the importance of faith, urging us "to summon up
deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself." So the true
value of this wonderful mirror lies in the heart of the beholder-the
heart that knows believing is seeing.

Nov 12, 2009

Nov 10, 2009

"Buddhism teaches us that the individual writes and performs the script for his or her own life. Neither chance nor a divine being writes the script for us. We write it, and we are the actors who play it. This is an extremely positive philosophy, inherent in the teaching of 3,000 realms in a single moment of life. You are the author and the hero. To perform your play well, it is important to pound the script into your head so thoroughly that you can see it vividly before your eyes. You may need to rehearse in your mind. Sometimes it helps to write down your goals, copying them over and over until they are inscribed in your heart."

Nov 6, 2009

From Rolling Stone Mag:The opening line on your album is a Buddhist phrase, "Nam myoho renge kyo." Where did you learn that?About 1971, this guy and I were hitchhiking through Canada. We
thought we were John and Yoko. Somebody told us that if we got to
Toronto, we should stay with this woman Georgia Ambrose, who held
Buddhist ceremonies at her house. We called her and she said, "What
sign are you?" "Well, we're both Virgos." And she goes, "Come over, I
need some Virgo energy." When we got there, that's what they were
chanting. It means, basically, that every drop that goes to the vein
comes back to the heart.

1,2,3,4 Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Buddha please
can you help a little peasant that's begging on her knees
illusion fills my head like an empty can spent a million lifetimes loving the same man

Whoa! Every drop that run through the vein
always makes it's way back to the heart again
and by the way you look fantastic in your boots of chinese plastic

Hare Krishna, Hare Rama too,
Govinda I am still in love with you
I see you in the birds and in the trees
that's why they call me Krishna Mayee

Whoa! Every drop that run through the vein
always makes it's way back to the heart again
and by the way you look fantastic in your boots of chinese plastic

Hofra told us we should tolerate the people and the things that make me wanna hate
oh have a little mixed mercy on me, this seasoned beauty in this human pageantry
Jesus Christ came down here as a living man
if he can live a life of virtue then I hope I can
unto others as you would have a turn
back here and repeat until you learn, learn, learn

Whoa! Every drop that run through the vein
always makes it's way back to the heart again
every dog that lived his life on a chain knows what it's like WAITING FOR NOTHING!

UPDATE: Here are some more reasons submitted by members.
From SGI.org site
Dan- to get good parking space at the mall.
Herb-1) if you are stupid you can become wise. (excluding how to drop down
one line on your computer
2) If you if you are cold hearted you will
become warm-hearted.
3) if your are arrogant you will become humble
4)
If you lack confidence you will gain confidence.
5) If you tend to be
cowardly you will become courageous
6) If you are shy you can become
very sociable
7) If you have medical problems you can become healthy.
8) If you don't like what you see in the mirror you will come to like
what you see in the mirror, as you will soom see the Buddha.
9) If the
world appears flat you will soon see in HD 3-d
10) If you don't find the
world colorfull you will soon see colors becoming brighter and
brighter.
11) if you don't care that much for music you will soon love
it.

Nov 2, 2009

What is the purpose
of life? It is to become happy. Whatever country or society people live
in, they all have the same deep desire: to become happy.

Yet, there are few ideals as difficult to grasp as that of
happiness. In our daily life we constantly experience happiness and
unhappiness, but we are still quite ignorant as to what happiness
really is.

A young friend of mine once spent a long time trying to
work out what happiness was, particularly happiness for women. When she
first thought about happiness she saw it as a matter of becoming
financially secure or getting married. (The view in Japanese society
then was that happiness for a woman was only to be found in marriage.)
But looking at friends who were married, she realized that marriage
didn't necessarily guarantee happiness.

She saw couples who had been passionately in love
suffering from discord soon after their wedding. She saw women who had
married men with money or status but who fought constantly with their
husbands.

Gradually, she realized that the secret of happiness lay
in building a strong inner self that no trial or hardship could ruin.
She saw that happiness for anyone - man or woman - does not come simply
from having a formal education, from wealth or from marriage. It begins
with having the strength to confront and conquer one's own weaknesses.
Only then does it become possible to lead a truly happy life and enjoy
a successful marriage.

She finally told me, "Now I can say with confidence that
happiness doesn't exist in the past or in the future. It only exists
within our state of life right now, here in the present, as we face the
challenges of daily life."

I agree entirely. You yourself know best whether you are
feeling joy or struggling with suffering. These things are not known to
other people. Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and
many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in
his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate
financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and
happiness rising in her heart each day.

Happiness is not a life without problems, but rather the
strength to overcome the problems that come our way. There is no such
thing as a problem-free life; difficulties are unavoidable. But how we
experience and react to our problems depends on us. Buddhism teaches
that we are each responsible for our own happiness or unhappiness. Our
vitality - the amount of energy or "life-force" we have - is in fact
the single most important factor in determining whether or not we are
happy.

True happiness is to be found within, in the state of our
hearts. It does not exist on the far side of some distant mountains. It
is within you, yourself. However much you try, you can never run away
from yourself. And if you are weak, suffering will follow you wherever
you go. You will never find happiness if you don't challenge your
weaknesses and change yourself from within.

Happiness is to be found in the dynamism and energy of
your own life as you struggle to overcome one obstacle after another.
This is why I believe that a person who is active and free from fear is
truly happy.

The challenges we face in life can be compared to a tall
mountain, rising before a mountain climber. For someone who has not
trained properly, whose muscles and reflexes are weak and slow, every
inch of the climb will be filled with terror and pain. The exact same
climb, however, will be a thrilling journey for someone who is
prepared, whose legs and arms have been strengthened by constant
training. With each step forward and up, beautiful new views will come
into sight.

My teacher used to talk about two kinds of happiness -
"relative" and "absolute" happiness. Relative happiness is happiness
that depends on things outside ourselves: friends and family,
surroundings, the size of our home or family income.

This is what we feel when a desire is fulfilled, or
something we have longed for is obtained. While the happiness such
things bring us is certainly real, the fact is that none of this lasts
forever. Things change. People change. This kind of happiness shatters
easily when external conditions alter.

Relative happiness is also based on comparison with
others. We may feel this kind of happiness at having a newer or bigger
home than the neighbors. But that feeling turns to misery the moment
they start making new additions to theirs!

Absolute happiness, on the other hand, is something we
must find within. It means establishing a state of life in which we are
never defeated by trials and where just being alive is a source of
great joy. This persists no matter what we might be lacking, or what
might happen around us. A deep sense of joy is something which can only
exist in the innermost reaches of our life, and which cannot be
destroyed by any external forces. It is eternal and inexhaustible.

This kind of satisfaction is to be found in consistent and
repeated effort, so that we can say, "Today, again, I did my very best.
Today, again, I have no regrets. Today, again, I won." The accumulated
result of such efforts is a life of great victory.

What we should compare is not ourselves against others. We
should compare who we are today against who we were yesterday, who we
are today against who we will be tomorrow. While this may seem simple
and obvious, true happiness is found in a life of constant advancement.
And the same worries that could have made us miserable can actually be
a source of growth when we approach them with courage and wisdom.

One friend whose dramatic life proved this was Natalia
Satz, who founded the first children's theater in Moscow. In the 1930s,
she and her husband were marked by Soviet Union's secret police. Even
though they were guilty of no crime, her husband was arrested and
executed and she was sent to a prison camp in the frozen depths of
Siberia.

After she recovered from the initial shock, she started
looking at her situation, not with despair, but for opportunity. She
realized that many of her fellow prisoners had special skills and
talents. She began organizing a "university," encouraging the prisoners
to share their knowledge. "You. You are a scientist. Teach us about
science. You are an artist. Talk to us about art."

In this way, the boredom and terror of the prison camp
were transformed into the joy of learning and teaching. Eventually,
Mrs. Satz even made use of her own unique talents to organize a theater
group. She survived the five-year prison sentence, and dedicated the
rest of her long life to creating children's theater. When we met for
the first time in Moscow in 1981, she was already in her 80s. She was
as radiant and buoyant as a young girl. Her smile was the smile of
someone who has triumphed over the hardships of life. Hers is the kind
of spirit I had in mind when I wrote the following poem on "Happiness":

A person with a vast heart is happy.
Such a person lives each day with a broad and embracing spirit.
A person with a strong will is happy.
Such a person can confidently enjoy life, never defeated by suffering.
A person with a profound spirit is happy.
Such a person can savor life's depths
while creating meaning and value that will last for eternity.
A person with a pure mind is happy.
Such a person is always surrounded by refreshing breezes of joy.

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About Me

My SGI Lotus Flower Blog: Spreading the wonders and joy of Nichiren Buddhism through articles, experiences, art, music, film, comedy and pop culture. For beginners to long time members, I hope this blog serves you well. Like the Lotus Flower we can bloom right where we are.

My Art By Seleus Blog: I've been drawing since I was 5. I've done live nude drawings, oil paintings, sketching, digital art and graphic design. I love to mainly draw female portraits. I love caricature, illustration, pop art, pin-ups and vector art. I attended the School of Visual Arts for awhile and my favorite Artist is Al Hirshfeld. A diehard Hitchcock, Wonder Woman, Classic Film fan.

"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever."

True happiness means forging a strong spirit that is undefeated, no matter how trying our circumstances.

Disclaimer

The opinions, thoughts and artwork expressed here are solely my own (unless otherwise noted).The photos on this site explain my feelings about the practice in a visual way. The inner artist in me thought that by merging beautiful guidance with art, music, film, humor and pop culture- I can move and tap into another part of ourselves. How can I convey these pearls of wisdom in a way that I can understand more. The graphics are for also for entertainment purposes to invoke laughter and smiles to our hearts. They are not to be taken seriously. But my practice I take seriously. Its not my intention to offend anyone. I claim no ownership or copyright of any of the images posted except those taken and created by me. If you are the owner of a specific image & would like it removed, please email & I will do so promptly. This is a non-official SGI site and I will try my best to provide the sources.

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